Farming In Encyclopaedia

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31239, 10 December 1966, Page 10

Farming In Encyclopaedia

CBy

G.M.W.)

JN the Government Printer’s “Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, the series of articles on various aspects of farming in New Zealand, give an excellent coverage; everything of importance seems to be included. The 29 main headings concerned with fanning may be grouped as follows, showing the number of articles and total pages in each group—the principal contributions on literature and the arts, and on racing and sporting, are summarised for comparison (biographies and photographs are not included):

Articles Pages Plant production ~5 29 Soils and fertilisers 4 28 Organisation of farming .. 6 18 Cattle .. .. 2 17 Sheep .. .. 3 14 Other animal topics 5 12 Forestry .. .. 3 11 Insect pests ..1 3 Total .. 29 132 Racing and Sports 16 92 Literature and Arts 5 57

Individual articles of 10 or more pages included in the above classification are headed by literature (23 pages), followed closely by racing and Rugby, then art, soil, music, fertilisers, and arable farming.

It is unfortunate that the sections on arable fanning and pastures were prepared toe early to allow the inclusion of the Maori names recently adopted for the herbage varieties released from the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, or mention of the high-yielding potato, Rua, bred at the Crop Research Division. Plant breeding in New Zealand is discussed more intelligently

in the articles on pastures and plant diseases than in the one on arable farming. There is an odd misprint—“tried” for “bred”—in the discussion of improved wheat varieties (vol. 1, p. 620), and it is not correct to say that Cross 7 (61) was selected from Cross 7 (35), nor that it is a popular variety, nor even that it is mildew resistant, though it was resistant when it was released. Similarly Mengavi (spelt wrongly in p. 620 and in the index) was bred from Gabo, not selected from it. The release in 1963 of a rust-resistant strain of Onward oat is not reported, fortunately, perhaps, as a race of rust which attacks it has been found recently. As with any good encyclopaedia, it is difficult to consult this one without being side-tracked. The need to reproduce the interesting halfpage perspective drawing of the proposed hydro-electric development of the Waitaki river basin in both volumes 2 (page 857) and 3 (page 524), may be questioned. One may wonder at the editor’s reluctance to print some of Nancy M. Adams’s fine drawings of native trees in the article headed “Indigenous Forests.” After all, he used her drawing of mountain beech in three other places. This encyclopaedia will be invaluable for settling arguments. Only ode dog has won both a heading and a huntaway class in the national championships, up to 1964. In 1961 men’s outdoor bowling clubs had a total membership of 44,817. And so on. No-one is likely to regret buying it.